


Storm of Spirits: Firewalk

by moriturus



Series: Storm of Spirits Universe [6]
Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26606857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moriturus/pseuds/moriturus
Summary: What happens when a spirit goes rogue? How does the Fifth Spirit intervene? Follow along as our favorite sisters chase down a mysterious elemental spirit at the turn of the 20th century.
Relationships: Anna/Elsa (Disney)
Series: Storm of Spirits Universe [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930960
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	1. Prologue

This story takes place in the Storm of Spirits universe. If you haven’t read it, it will probably not make a ton of sense, so start there.

FFN: www.fanfiction.net/s/13562654/1/Storm-of-Spirits

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/23586097/chapters/56592682

* * *

_Ireland, Pre-Modern Times_

Caoileann, a young woman no more than 12 or 13 years old, stood in the middle of stone cairns adorning a great field, dressed in scraps of furs poorly knitted together. Hungry, her face was sallow and drawn, her fingers and arms stick-thin; the previous winter had been unkind to her village and food had run out weeks ago.

A voice rang out in the dusky shadows of twilight, a rich, melodious woman’s voice. “Do you know why you are here, girl?”

Caoileann knelt in fear at the sudden voice coming from nowhere, then shook her head. “Forgive me, fae. I am a simple girl from the village. I did not mean any disrespect. I heard a voice calling me to this place, and I- I hoped to find something to eat.”

The voice laughed. “We are not fae, girl. We are much, much older than that. Thank you for answering our summons.”

A soft glow emerged from the stones nearest her, illuminating the grassy field beneath her feet. She looked down to see four stones shaped like perfect carved diamonds in the earth, each with markings on them that meant nothing to her. Caoileann gasped as the stones at her feet began to glow.

Another voice sounded in the darkness, this one high-pitched. “Be unafraid, girl. What is your name?”

“M-my name is Caoileann.”

“You have been chosen, Caoileann,” spoke the high-pitched voice.

Another voice emerged, this of a man. “Chosen, you may wonder, for what purpose?”

A fourth voice spoke up, another woman’s voice, this time sounding like an old woman. “You stand on sacred ground, sacred to the world itself. We are the spirits who guide this world and ensure elemental balance. Your people are new to this land, and you have discovered how harsh and unforgiving it is.”

Caoileann nodded, a tear forming. “It was a hard winter. My father… he died from hunger. I wish I could have saved him.”

The first woman’s voice spoke up. “Your people suffer because they do not understand balance. They do not understand how to live with the land, how to respect the elements. You could teach them this, with our help, in exchange for guiding them away from behaviors that would disrupt the balance of the elements.”

“Who are you? Why can’t I see you?”

The stones at her feet flared brightly, then the very elements came to life before her eyes.

A lizard appeared, green and yellow, ablaze. “I am Caorthannach, spirit of fire.”

A winged nymph made of water rose from the stones. “I am Boann, spirit of water.”

A foggy mist descended from the sky, taking the form of a ghostly woman. “I am Arianrhod, spirit of wind.”

Lastly, stones and dirt coalesced into the form of a regal, tall woman with long, flowing hair. “I am Cerridwen, spirit of earth. Together, we are the spirits who guide this land, and if you accept our help, you will be the bridge between our magic and your people. You will be the fifth spirit.”

“Will I be able to save my family, my village?”

“When we speak, if they listen, then yes. Their land will grow fruitful, and you will help keep hunger at bay. But they must listen and respect the elements,” said Cerridwen, gesturing at the other spirits.

“What must I do?”

“Listen. Come when we call. And keep your people away from this sacred place. That is all we will ask of you, for these cairns are our home and must not be disturbed. The consequences for violating our home will be severe,” said Caorthannach.

Caoileann bit her lower lip. Initially fearful, she felt the spark of hope in her chest that perhaps she could make a difference. Her younger sister was near death, hunger slowly consuming her as it did her father. Perhaps this could save her. “All right. I will serve you.”

All four spirits spoke as one. “Step into your power, Caoileann. Grow yourself into something new. You are the one your people have been waiting for.”

With those words, bright, white light exploded from under her, like the night sky turned into a fountain. Caoileann’s hair turned from dirty blonde to vivid red, and her frail body became hale and whole instantly, years of hunger and malnutrition erased. A moon-white gown began to form from the sparkling lights on the floor, replacing her tattered furs. She looked as much like a goddess as the spirits she spoke to, and the cloud in her mind borne of fatigue and hunger lifted.

“Arise, fifth spirit. Go now and serve as the bridge between magic and your people. Maintain the balance. Safeguard our home.”

* * *

## Author’s Notes

This is the first of four parts of what was originally a one-shot for the Elsanna Shenanigans August 2020 contest. This version is revised, cleaned up, and expanded from the original contest entry.

* * *

### Join The Party

Enjoyed this story? Want to meet fellow readers and discuss? Join the Elsanna Shenanigans community on Discord at discord.gg/TU9NpnH (copy and paste that URL for AO3 friends, go to discord dot gg slash TU9NpnH for FFN friends).

As always, please review, kudos, comment, like, follow, all that good stuff. I appreciate it.


	2. Storm of Spirits: Firewalk, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Anna are asked to help solve a mystery in Edwardian London involving what might be one of the elemental spirits... and a murder.

This story takes place in the Storm of Spirits universe. If you haven’t read it, it will probably not make a ton of sense, so start there.

FFN: www.fanfiction.net/s/13562654/1/Storm-of-Spirits

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/23586097/chapters/56592682

* * *

_London, 1904_

“How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”, Anna read aloud from The Strand to her sister as they enjoyed a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast at a table overlooking the street. Horses and carriages, news criers, and bustling crowds reverberated through the windows of their North Gower Street flat. Warm spring air brought scents from the local merchants into their flat.

Elsa chuckled. “Clearly, Dr. Watson has never contemplated this sort of thing-”, she traced a finger in the air, snowflakes fluttering to the burgundy carpet, “in his idea of what’s impossible. I wonder how he and his companion would solve mysteries of magic that involve people who can literally control the elements from their fingertips?”

“He’d probably be stunned, absolutely shocked. Doubly so if he were to witness this…” Anna giggled as she leaned over the table to kiss Elsa, gently combing her fingers over her sister’s fine blonde hair.

“Practicing your French, I see,” Elsa retorted with a chuckle. Ever since moving to London at the turn of the century, they’d made it a tradition to people watch every Sunday morning over tea and pastries. While Anna enjoyed watching the people themselves, she looked for the patterns, the rhythm of the city.

“Speaking of mysteries, what do you suppose that person across the street is doing?” Anna gestured out the window at an ornately-dressed woman pointing at their building and referencing a slip of paper.

Elsa turned to look, a few crumbs of her scone falling to the lap of her navy blue dress. “I’m not sure, but she’s headed this way.” She closed her eyes briefly, reaching out with her powers to search for any kind of magical threat and finding none.

Careful footsteps made their way up the wooden stairwell and moments later, a hesitant knock sounded at their flat door. Anna opened it carefully, guarding against the unknown. The same woman from the street peered at her from under her ornate hat. “Is this…” the woman asked quietly, looking down at a slip of paper in her gloved hand, “the Arendelle sisters, 185 North Gower?”

“Maybe - who’s asking?” asked Anna coyly.

“I am in need of some… special assistance. May I?” the woman gestured, removing her hat. Anna nodded and stepped out of the doorway. “My name is… Alice. I’ve come to you to ask for your help. I’m told you know of the mysteries of the world.”

Elsa stood and walked over to their guest, a thin smile on her lips. “If you are looking for help solving mysteries, I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. You’ll be wanting to head about a mile west of here to Baker Street. Look for 221B, and ask for Mr. Holmes or Dr. Watson.”

The woman brushed out her floral dress, sitting carefully on the sofa. “I’m afraid he will not be of much help, and I would prefer not to have Scotland Yard involved in the matter.”

Elsa coughed politely. “Ma’am - Alice, was it? If you’re afraid of falling afoul of the law, then I’m certain we cannot be of any help either. I’m very sorry-”

“It’s magic.”

Both sisters focused intently on the woman, whose eyes were still downcast at the floor. Anna took note of how nervous and shy Alice was. The poor woman alternated between wringing her white gloved hands and combing her fingers through her jet-black hair.

“I beg your pardon?” Anna asked, more gently this time.

“It is a mystery of a magical nature. My cousin Charles was badly injured recently, and claims to have seen some… impossible things when he incurred his injuries. I was hoping you might have a word with him.” Alice resumed wringing her hands.

“Could you be a bit more specific?” Elsa prompted.

“He claims that he was injured by a raging fire that burned him from the inside out, and several of his fellows were killed by this mysterious fire. The police have been of no assistance, aside from claiming that Charles had clearly been drinking too much, but he swears to sobriety when it happened.” Alice stared plaintively at the sisters, alternating her gaze from one to the other. “I am prepared to pay handsomely for your assistance.”

“Payment isn’t the issue. What makes you think we can assist you, Alice? We’re just a couple of ordinary women, as you are.”

“I have consulted with every other source in this city - even the esteemed Mr. Holmes - and gave up hope when my soothsayer mentioned I might find you here, and that you had… experience with such matters.”

“Who is your soothsayer?”

Alice cast her eyes down again. “Madame Ullstead the Mystic.”

The sisters looked at each other, Elsa’s eyebrow subtly arched in recognition of the name. As though invisibly communicating, Elsa gave the slightest nod of her head to her sister. “Where should we meet you?”

“Chatsworth Court on Pembroke Road in Kensington.”

Anna nodded. “We know the area. How about half three today?”

Alice let a tear fall as she gathered her belongings. “That would be most generous of you. Thank you both. I have been at my wit’s end trying to help my cousin, and no one believes us.”

* * *

Anna held Elsa’s hand in companionable silence on the train ride out to Kensington. Despite it having been more than 80 years since their births, the world hadn’t progressed enough where women lovers could safely show anything more than sororal affection, but sisters holding hands and hugging was quite commonplace. Anna smiled slyly to herself; there’d be plenty of time to shower Elsa with affection after they returned home later.

“What do you suppose this is about?” Anna wondered aloud.

Elsa turned her gaze from the tram window to her sister. “I’m not sure. It certainly sounds like there’s more than we’ve been told. Keep your eyes open.” She gripped Anna’s hand more firmly and gave her a reassuring smile. “Did you find out anything about who this Alice is?”

“She’s kind of a big deal, which would explain why we’re headed to the nice neighborhood,” Anna grinned. In her research that day, Anna had found that Alice was none other than Alice Mary Augusta, Countess of Athlone, a member of the royal family. That would explain how she knew the Ullstead family; 58 years prior, Princess Aurora had married into the Ullstead family and borne a daughter and granddaughter with the gift of foresight. Royal families being so intermingled, it was no surprise the House of Athlone would know the descendents of the House of Ullstead.

The conductor barked out “High Street! Kensington Station!” and the sisters disembarked, headed towards Chatsworth Court. Along the way, Elsa began to fidget more and more, first running her hand along the fences and shrubberies, then twitching her fingers.

“Do you feel something, Elsa?” Anna asked as she looked around carefully. Concern encroached on her face; despite their collective powers, she always feared for her older sister’s safety out of habit.

“Yes… it’s fire energy of some kind. Like Bruni’s… but different somehow. And it’s here and moving fast.” Her eyes darted left and right, searching for the source of energy that triggered her powers. She felt her own powers straining under her control, singing their familiar song, wanting to be let free.

In the distance, the Chatsworth Court estate loomed, its brick walls and gates blocking out the lower classes. Elsa’s hands tingled with the presence of elemental energy. She leaned to whisper in Anna’s ear as they walked. “Something’s here. I can feel it, and it’s beginning to feel… not friendly. Be careful, okay?” As her sister nodded in agreement, Elsa cast light ice armor over the both of them, not enough to be obvious without being up close, but enough to blunt the impact of anything unexpected.

A woman’s scream echoed from inside the Chatsworth Court manor, and the sisters broke into a run. They reached the heavy iron gates, but no one attended them to let them in. Elsa looked around quickly, then knocked them open with a short blast of ice, shattering the iron lock. A fast sprint up the drive brought them to the door, where the screams had turned to sobs.

Anna knocked vigorously on the heavy oak door. “Alice? It’s the Arendelle sisters. Are you all right? Do you need help?” No answer came forth beyond the sounds of hysterical sobbing. Anna sniffed the air, her brow furrowed. “Smoke…” she murmured. Worry leaped up in her heart, and she nodded to her sister.

Elsa scouted the surroundings once more to ensure no passersby were looking their way, then quietly crushed the door to splinters with two rows of icicles, like a dog chewing on a stick. The sisters rushed in to find Alice kneeling over a badly charred corpse in the sitting parlor, its flesh hollowed out by fire. Vases and a tea setting lay shattered all over the floor.

Anna gasped at the sight, while Elsa’s attention flitted around the room, searching for the cause of the horrific scene. She pushed aside a sinking feeling in her stomach as her eyes traced a charred trail around the room and out a side window. As Anna knelt down to comfort Alice, Elsa raced out of the room, sensing a trail of magic.

Just as she rounded the corner of the estate, she glimpsed the sight of a small ball of lime green and yellow fire in the shape of a salamander. Elsa froze momentarily in shock, appalled to see what looked like her friend and companion spirit, Bruni, at the scene of such a horrific crime. The lizard snarled and breathed fire at her; she easily nullified it with a blast of ice, then sent another to hold the fire creature in place.

Demonic yellow and green flames blazed from the lizard, shattering her ice, as it raced away in the blink of an eye. Elsa stood shocked for a moment. Did she see what she thought she did? If so, what did it mean? None of the spirits had ever shown any kind of malevolence; even the earth giants rarely used violence, and only to maintain harmony with the land. She reached out with her powers, but couldn’t find any trace of where the spirit had fled to.

She turned and headed back inside the home to find Anna consoling Alice in the kitchen, away from the horrific scene. Her sister’s compassion was limitless, as infinite as her lifespan, forged in the early years of their lives when they were forced apart by their parents. “What happened?” she asked quietly.

Anna shook her head as she ushered Alice into a chair in the corner, then pulled her sister aside in the next room. “She’d left tea out for her cousin and was outside tending the gardens for half an hour on the other side of the estate when she smelled smoke. When she came in, she found her cousin’s remains on the floor. She screamed when she found him - that’s what we heard on the way over, but she doesn’t know what happened otherwise. What did you find?”

Elsa nodded. “I saw… something. It looked like Bruni, but he was a different color, and he didn’t speak to me at all or even behave like he recognized me. I don’t think it was him… I assume there’s nothing you could have done?”

“No… he was too far gone. There’s barely anything left of him,” Anna whispered. “What next?”

Let’s see if we can’t get some more answers."

“How? She saw next to nothing that we haven’t seen.”

“Remember what Olaf used to say?”

“Water has memory,” Anna quipped, her eyes softening momentarily at the memory of the little snowman. Despite the fact that Elsa could have reconstituted him at any time, Anna had insisted that his memory be left with Kristoff and Sven, as they’d all perished together decades earlier.

Elsa knelt down and cast waves of cold energy into the floor, condensing the spilled water from the vase and the tea service into a flurry. The icy image coalesced into the Bruni-like lizard attacking a man, biting him with a mouth ablaze. Anna gasped at the image and the dull echoes of the fiery confrontation. She heard the ghosts of the man’s screams of pain and the sounds of flames consuming him and shuddered. “That’s… terrifying. I’ve never seen a spirit attack a mortal so fiercely or openly!”

“Whatever’s happening here, it’s bigger than just a bit of magic. Maybe even bigger than us. We need to head north for some answers,” said Elsa, dismissing the image into fine powder and waving it away.

“North? Oh… _that north_. Right. I’ll make sure Lady Alice is settled in before we go.” She patted her sister’s arm as she passed by, headed to the kitchen while Elsa began the process of summoning a portal to Ahtohallan.

* * *

## Author’s Notes

This is the second of four parts of what was originally a one-shot for the Elsanna Shenanigans August 2020 contest. This version is revised, cleaned up, and expanded from the original contest entry.

* * *

### Join The Party

Enjoyed this story? Want to meet fellow readers and discuss? Join the Elsanna Shenanigans community on Discord at discord.gg/TU9NpnH (copy and paste that URL for AO3 friends, go to discord dot gg slash TU9NpnH for FFN friends).

As always, please review, kudos, comment, like, follow, all that good stuff. I appreciate it.


	3. Storm of Spirits: Firewalk, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Anna head to Ireland to find the rogue spirit and tame it, and avoid a barfight.

This story takes place in the Storm of Spirits universe. If you haven’t read it, it will probably not make a ton of sense, so start there.

FFN: www.fanfiction.net/s/13562654/1/Storm-of-Spirits

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/23586097/chapters/56592682

* * *

_Ahtohallan, 1904_

The sisters walked from the portal Elsa had cast into the familiar icy chamber, Ahtohallan’s hall of memories, holding hands. Anna bore a wide grin; she never tired of coming here, one of the few places where she could show her affections for her sister without limit, in complete privacy. And Elsa was on cloud nine as she usually was, basking in the ambient energy and power of the other spirits.

Hands still joined, they stepped into the center of the room. A familiar thrum surged through the crystals on the floor, and a sheet of blue ice cascaded down the walls. Their mother’s image reflected in the icy walls, and her voice echoed around them.

“Elsa, Anna. What brings you here?” asked the Guardian pleasantly in Iduna’s voice.

“Mother, I saw something… concerning. Is everyone here?” asked the elder sister, glancing around the chamber for the presence of the elemental spirits.

“Yes. All are listening.”

“I watched something - a spirit, I think - kill a man in London, just a short while ago. It looked like Bruni, but a different color - yellow and green. The spirit seems to have attacked him and burned him alive from the inside out.”

The colored crystals on the floor flared brightly as the spirits’ voices harshly collided throughout the chamber in an uproar. Voices overlapped, arguing with each other in a language neither sister recognized, but the tone was clear. Shock. Horror. Anger. Once the tumult died down, Bruni spoke. “I know this being that you speak of, Fifth Spirit. Its name is _Caorthannach_ , the fire-spitter, and like me, it is a fire spirit.”

“Wait, what? How is that possible? You’re the fire spirit!” Anna interrupted, a confused look on her face. “Are you saying there’s more than just you?”

Iduna’s gentle laughter echoed in the frosty air. “You are correct, Anna. The spirits here are not the only elemental spirits in the world. Far from it; all over the world, there are centers of power like Ahtohallan, and spirits that work together to keep the balance. The world is much too large for just us to manage.”

“So this… _Caorthannach_? It’s what - an evil fire spirit?” asked Elsa.

Bruni’s voice chirped, “Spirits and elements cannot be evil, but can fall out of balance to be something other than what we are supposed to be. Out of balance, out of harmony. Fire warms and cleanses, but also consumes and destroys. Some of us, like _Caorthannach_ , fall out of harmony and must be rebalanced.”

“So we have to rebalance this spirit? How?”

“A relatively easy task for you, Fifth Spirit. _Caorthannach_ ’s element, as you have experienced, is fire. It is out of harmony, and your favored element, water - and ice - can tame it, calm it so that it may regain its balance,” Iduna’s voice echoed.

“Why can’t their water spirit do that?”

Nokk’s dolphin-like voice squeaked in the chamber. “Spirits may not interfere with each other. Only the Fifth Spirit can act as a bridge between the elemental domains. You recall the first time you brought Anna here, Gale left you at the shore of the Dark Sea so that I might ferry you the rest of the way.”

Elsa nodded. “All right. We’ll do our best to catch up with it and subdue it. Is there anything in particular I should try?”

Bruni’s high-pitched squeaks sounded like giggles. “Nothing more than when we first met, Fifth Spirit. Use your powers of ice and cold to cool down _Caorthannach_ and it should react as I did, recognizing you as a Fifth Spirit, and finding balance again.”

“Very well. We’ll head back to London to prepare for our journey.” Elsa took Anna’s hand as the spirits faded away, weaving the magic for a portal back to their flat on North Gower Street.

* * *

Mere hours after their return, a messenger boy stood at the stoop of 185 North Gower Street with a telegram for the sisters. “’ere you are, Miss” said the boy, handing over the yellow slip of paper and receiving a few coins in return from Elsa.

After reading an urgent plea to come at once from Lady Alice, the sisters immediately headed back to Chatsworth Court. Elsa had spotted an out of the way woodshed on the property and opened a portal to it, saving them the train trip. They arrived to find Alice standing outside the estate while a ladder wagon and crew from the London Fire Brigade worked feverishly to quench the inferno consuming the mansion.

Anna pulled Alice into a gentle hug. “What happened?”

The woman, a ripped, soot-covered housecoat pulled tightly around her, openly wept. “I was in the study, putting Charles’ affairs in order, when the devil himself burst through the window and set everything alight! I barely escaped with my life, and I am ruined, ruined! I have no proof of anything any more!” She sniffled, smearing coal-colored dirt on her face.

“Proof of what?” asked Elsa gently, putting a hand on Alice’s shoulder.

“Charles, my cousin, had just bought some land in the northwest of Ireland, for an estate in the countryside as a wedding gift to me and my husband. It was a contentious deal; he had haggled furiously with the owner, some old Irish Marquess in County Sligo. We were to start construction on our new family’s home within the fortnight, and now… now everything is lost. I have no proof of the transaction, the titles and deeds to the land are gone in the fire… I have nothing!”

“Surely the… Marquess? would have record of this, wouldn’t they?” asked Anna, a puzzled look on her face.

Alice shook her head, tears eroding the soot on her cheeks like a stream cutting through a hillside. “The Marquess was forced to sell because of poverty. He will no doubt be more than happy to say the transaction never happened; his son was adamantly opposed to the deal because it was some ancient family land, and because, well, we are English and there’s no love lost there.”

“All right. Where is your husband? Can he help get things sorted out here?”

“No, he’s overseas now, on business for the Crown in the Boer Republic. He won’t be back for quite some time.”

“Do you have a place to stay for now? We can head to Sligo and see what we can discover there. Perhaps this incident can be traced back to someone near the land,” Anna stood, taking Elsa’s hand quietly.

“I do, my cousin Alexander has a manor not far from here.” Alice took a handkerchief proffered by Elsa to wipe her eyes. “Thank you, thank you two so much for anything you can do to help me. I would be lost with you.”

* * *

The sisters untangled themselves as the sleeper car rumbled past Enniskillen. Whenever they had the opportunity, even the tiniest sleeper bunk was a wonderful opportunity to travel together in privacy and enjoy each other’s company to the fullest. As they both dressed, Anna looked out the window, parting a slat in the venetian blinds on the window.

“What do you suppose we’re going to find when we get there?”

Elsa shook her head softly, a flash of irritation crossing her features as she struggled to lace up her corset. “I’m not sure, but there must be more to this story than we’ve heard so far. Spirits don’t attack people unprovoked. Even the earth giants of the Enchanted Forest have never behaved this way, and they’re the grumpiest spirits we know. Still, I can’t deny that I saw this fire spirit when we first arrived at Lady Alice’s estate.”

Anna’s fingers brushed over Elsa’s, taking over the lacing for her and sweeping her fingertips lightly over her sister’s snowy complexion, causing Elsa to tremble with pleasure. “I suppose we’ll find out, but we’d better be ready to deal with this fire-spitter one way or another.”

It was dusk after the long train ride from Dublin, and they needed to find out where this property Lady Alice had bought was. Elsa’s limitations - that she could open portals only to places she’d already been - meant doing things the long way more often than not. After disembarking at Sligo’s rail station, the sisters made their way to the town center, then a couple minutes’ walk along the Garvoge River to one of the local public houses.

Anna looked at the reddish, squat exterior of the Thomas Connolly pub. Through the open door, she could see a guitarist warbling out “The Bonny Bunch of Roses” as patrons relaxed, pints of Smithwick’s on nearly every table. “Looks like it’s worth a try to see if anyone knows this Marquess.”

As they walked in, conversation at the tables nearest the door quieted, then stopped entirely, the patrons staring with mild irritation. The bartender nearest the door took a look at both of them, garbed in long coats and floral hats clearly of London make, and snarled, “No English here, lasses. Best be on your way.”

Elsa smiled. “We’re not English. We’re from Norway.”

“Is that right?” asked a stout laborer at the bar. “My brother married a Norwegian lass, and I’ve been there a couple of times. You look and smell English to me.” He cleared his throat roughly and stood up, fists slowly clenching. “ _Hvor er du fra?_ ”

“ _Vi er fra Arendal. Hvor er svigerinnen din fra?_ ” Elsa responded, not missing a beat.

The laborer grumbled and sat back down. “All right, all right, my Norwegian’s not that good. Sorry, lass. Denis, first pint’s on me by way of apology.”

The tables nearby resumed their chatter, and the bartender - Denis - poured the sisters a couple of Southwick’s. The laborer made space at the bar for the sisters; Anna lowered the hood on her coat as she took a stool.

“Well get outta that garden, lass! If you’d come in here with your hair like that where we could have seen it, we’d swear you’re as Irish as Saint Patrick himself!” the laborer exclaimed, admiring Anna’s auburn hair. “Name’s Michael. What brings you to town?”

Anna laughed. “We’re here looking to solve a bit of a mystery.”

“What might that be?”

“Do you know of any place nearby that might be… umm, haunted by fire fae?” asked Anna sheepishly.

* * *

## Author’s Notes

This is the third of four parts of what was originally a one-shot for the Elsanna Shenanigans August 2020 contest. This version is revised, cleaned up, and expanded from the original contest entry.

* * *

### Join The Party

Enjoyed this story? Want to meet fellow readers and discuss? Join the Elsanna Shenanigans community on Discord at discord.gg/TU9NpnH (copy and paste that URL for AO3 friends, go to discord dot gg slash TU9NpnH for FFN friends).

As always, please review, kudos, comment, like, follow, all that good stuff. I appreciate it.


	4. Storm of Spirits: Firewalk, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when an elemental spirit goes rogue? How does a fifth spirit intervene?

This story takes place in the Storm of Spirits universe. If you haven’t read it, it will probably not make a ton of sense, so start there.

FFN: www.fanfiction.net/s/13562654/1/Storm-of-Spirits

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/23586097/chapters/56592682

* * *

_Ireland, 1904_

An hour later, a horse-drawn wagon deposited the two at the side of a dirt road in _Cnoc na Riabh_ , well outside the town. The driver muttered something about the entire area being cursed, and rode off as quickly as he could into the night.

Ominous shadows loomed as henges of stone and large burial mounds dotted the landscape. Elsa shivered as a cold wind blew off the North Atlantic ocean over them. “Something’s here… and it’s very strong.” Snowflakes hovered around her fingertips as she summoned her powers for protection, adding icy armor around herself and Anna. Anna gently placed her palm in the small of Elsa’s back as they walked towards the largest cairn on the field, seeing a small doorway hewn into the stones.

Once inside, they walked down a narrow, dark tunnel until they reached a dusty stone chamber, a blackened skeleton prone on the floor. Elsa cast a soft blue glow from a summoned ice crystal as they walked, her nervousness causing her to sweat. Anna’s eyes grew large as they gingerly walked past the bones. Whoever it was, they had perished running away from whatever lay inside the chambers, their final moments spent crawling away from the interior.

A series of obsidian diamonds identical to the ice crystals in Ahtohallan’s hall of memories lay in the center of a similarly vaulted chamber. Anna tugged her sister’s hand, nudging her to the center of the room with her. Instead of the welcome blue cascade of ice and snow, the walls of the cavern ignited in flames. Elsa squeezed Anna’s hand and enveloped them in a swirling blizzard, quenching the flames nearest them.

Amidst the roar of fire, a familiar voice thundered. “What are you doing here, Fifth Spirit?”

Anna looked at her sister, bewildered. “Kristoff?”

“It must be the same as Ahtohallan - the temple’s guardian speaks with the voices of those from our memories,” Elsa said, slowly releasing the pressure on Anna’s hand as she turned to the familiar face sculpted in flames. She took a breath to steady herself.

“I’ve come to seek your aid, Guardian. _Caorthannach_ killed a human, interfering with the mortal world. We are not permitted to interfere in the normal course of life.”

The halls rumbled as the obsidian crystals began to glow a dull red. “Do not presume to tell us what is not permitted, Fifth Spirit. You are also bound by our rules, and you know well that mortals may not learn of us.”

“So you risked being discovered by incinerating someone from the inside out? That’s not suspicious or unnatural at all!” shouted Anna at the fiery image of her former fiance.

“Fifth Spirit! You dare bring an outsider with you?” the image of Kristoff roared, incensed at Anna’s presence.

A small green lizard waddled out to the sisters, ablaze in yellow and green flames, its voice high-pitched and harsh. “The mortal I eliminated was a necessary sacrifice. He had purchased all the land that our temple is built upon, and would have eventually discovered us. That is why he had to perish and all records of his ownership of our land ended. We must protect our domain, just as you protect Ahtohallan.”

Elsa stared down the lizard, frost swirling around her as outrage threatened to overtake her heart. Iduna’s words echoed in her mind. Cool down the fire, and help restore the balance.

Anna remained fixed on Kristoff’s image. Anger flashed in her eyes. “Then you should have done it the right way. You should have bought this land through your Fifth Spirit, instead of killing someone to do it!”

Kristoff’s image growled. “Foolish child! We have attempted that and more. Did you think we are as naive as you are? There is no other way. We must protect ourselves at any cost. No one must know we are here. And that includes you, outsider. You are no fifth spirit, and therefore you will not leave here alive.” With that pronouncement, the inferno spewing from the walls flared in intensity.

_Caorthannach_ roared as it grew in size from a tiny salamander to a reptile as large as an alligator, belching fire at the sisters with such ferocity, it looked like a fireworks display accidentally set off all at once. Anna began to channel her own powers, keeping herself and Elsa unharmed, beads of sweat pouring down her forehead even as Elsa nullified the spirits’ effort.

Elsa strained from the effort, freezing or knocking away every gout or wall of flame hurled at them before encasing themselves in a giant block of ice, buying a few moments of relief. “We can’t hold them off forever,” she panted, grabbing hold of Anna’s hands. She felt the gentle flow of Anna’s energy replenishing her powers faster than they would recharge alone. “I don’t know what’s happened here, but the other spirits feel as though they’re gone; it’s all fire now.”

“What if I channeled into you, and you cast a wave of ice over the entire room? That might be enough to at least let us escape.” Anna turned her eyes to the icy wall around them, already beginning to crack under the onslaught from the fire spirit. Fiery tornadoes swirled around the room; had anything been left unprotected, it would have been incinerated in an instant.

Elsa nodded. “It’s worth a try. Let’s let the ice barrier dissolve naturally, and as soon as it breaches, we give it our all.”

Anna clutched hands with her sister, feeling their energies merge together. She closed her eyes with a gentle smile on her lips, thinking of all the adventures they’d had together, all the love they shared, as golden light suffused her body. Life energy was her power, but love was the spark that ignited her abilities the strongest. Her smile broadened as she felt her sister’s pulse; with each beat of Elsa’s heart, Anna’s body glowed a brighter, brilliant golden light.

Just as the ice shattered, both sisters thought the same word together.

**Now.**

A massive wave of frost exploded from Elsa, like an avalanche pouring down a mountain. Shards of glowing blue ice flew from her like a fan of knives, striking the heated stone walls of the temple, leeching heat from the walls and slowly quenching the dull red glow of the blazing stone. Steam filled the chamber as blue light sparkled in every snowflake, every crystal, extinguishing the blazes around them. Kristoff’s image screamed in pain, then vanished into smoke as a coat of ice accrued on the walls.

The only spot in the room still ablaze was a small and diminishing circle around _Caorthannach_ , the alligator-sized body drawing in on itself. Elsa let go of Anna and pushed her hands forward, a torrent of cold withering away _Caorthannach_ ’s flames faster than the spirit could summon them. It squealed loudly, screaming at them, liquid fire dripping from its mouth like saliva from a rabid dog.

“Yield, _Caorthannach_! Yield and let us restore the balance!” shouted Elsa, pouring more frost on the spirit’s avatar. Streams of ice and cold lashed at the spirit, chaining it to the ground.

“No! I will not be denied! I will not be subdued! I will kill your lover, Fifth Spirit, and then I will incinerate you! No one defies the spirits! No one defies me! I am the fire lord! I will rule you!”

A whisper echoed behind the sisters, an elderly woman’s voice, repeating itself over and over. “ _Déan an rud a chaithfear a dhéanamh._ ”

Another voice joined it, a younger woman’s voice. “Do what must be done.”

The fire spirit continued to struggle, slowly burning away its restraints with green flame, still cursing them. Anna gripped her sister’s shoulders, adding her energy once again to her sister’s spells as an old woman’s voice joined the chorus of whispers around them. “ _Tá brón orainn, a dheartháir. Ní fhágann tú aon rogha againn._ We are sorry, brother. You leave us no choice.”

_Caorthannach_ wailed. “Betrayers! You would side with the mortals instead of your own kin? I should have destroyed you!”

All three voices gained strength and began to chant, “ _Lig dó a bheith críochnaithe._ Let it be finished.”

Elsa drew a breath, tamping down the maelstrom of emotions in her heart. Anger at _Caorthannach_ ’s threat to Anna. Sadness at what the other spirits were guiding to her do. Hope and love in Anna’s touch. She closed her eyes, saw the elemental symbols swirl around until they set in a circular pattern, her spell complete. She reached out a hand towards _Caorthannach_ , and a beam of royal blue light shot from her.

The moment it touched the lizard, its skin turned a sallow grey and its once fiery yellow eyes turned cobalt and lifeless. As life left it, the fire spirit’s body turned to snow and crumbled, then blew away, leaving no trace of the former elemental.

“You did it!” Anna embraced Elsa tightly, tension draining from her shoulders. They looked around the now-silent chamber; the voices had quieted. The scorched walls reverted to a natural sandstone, and the black obsidian crystals on the floor took on shades of greens and blues as they slowly sparkled back to life, the ground gently trembling. Images of the spirits rose from the crystals; a winged nymph, a ghostly foggy woman, and a woman made of rock and stone with long, flowing hair.

Kristoff’s voice echoed once more in the chamber, sounding gentler and calmer. His image reappeared, not in flame but in shifting sands on the wall. “Thank you, Fifth Spirit, for cleansing the corruption that had taken hold here. We were unable to resist it, to fight what _Caorthannach_ had become. We are all in your debt.”

“Where is your Fifth Spirit, guardian? Why have they not done the same for you?” Anna asked.

The stone woman’s image cast down its eyes. “To our great shame, in our corruption, we… slew them. You walked past their bones on the way into this chamber. Once we have sufficiently recovered, we will find another - as we will also need to replace the loss of _Caorthannach_.”

Elsa nodded somberly. “In our land, our spirits cast a veil of fog over an entire forest. Perhaps you could do the same here, protecting your temple and grounds from outsiders without needing to resort to violence.“

“An excellent suggestion, Fifth Spirit, one we shall strongly consider. For now, we thank you and give you our blessing. You will always be welcome in _Halla Cuimhní Cinn_ , our hall of memories.” The water nymph raised her arms and bright green energy flared from the ceiling, showering the sisters with incandescent leaves.

Anna’s eyes glowed yellow in turn as she absorbed the energy the spirits showered them with, feeling their life forces replenish from the drain of the battle. She clasped Elsa’s hand again and let the energy flow between them, the sensation as warm as a sunrise over a beautiful garden in the spring.

“We’d better get going back to our spirits,” smiled Elsa, as the crystals on the floor glowed softly.

* * *

The sisters stood comfortably in the center of the ice crystals in Ahtohallan, summoning their native spirits once more. Iduna’s familiar image appeared in the icy walls. “Thank you for your assistance, Fifth Spirit. You have set right a terrible imbalance that could have threatened all the spirits eventually.”

“Mother, why didn’t you tell us the truth? _Caorthannach_ wasn’t out of balance - it had been corrupted entirely,” said Elsa, irritated at the spirits’ lack of explanation.

Bruni’s voice chirped. “We did not think it possible. No spirit in memory has ever… fallen like what you experienced with _Caorthannach_. It should not have been possible. I mourn for the loss of a brother, but am grateful to you, Fifth Spirit, for what you did. Corruption such as that could easily spread to others, especially if we do not fully understand it.”

“That was more than corruption. That was… somehow, that fire spirit had become evil,” remarked Anna. “Elsa’s powers did nothing to change its ways, nothing to bring back any kind of balance.”

After an uncomfortably long silence, Iduna’s image resumed, “We will confer with each other and may ask your assistance as an emissary to other spirits around the world, Fifth Spirit, as we ponder the implications of your discovery. For now, you have our gratitude as well. Return to your lives with our blessing and thanks.” The room suddenly darkened as the spirits returned to their slumber, the image of Iduna faded, leaving only blue ice behind.

The sisters nodded and held hands as they moved towards the door, each looking backwards with unease at their polite but abrupt dismissal.

* * *

That night, as they lay tangled together in bed, Anna mused aloud. “Do you suppose that they didn’t know, or that they didn’t want us to worry, or what?”

Elsa rolled onto her back, leaving only an arm under Anna’s neck. “I suspect the spirits want to be perceived as infallible, above the pettiness of mortals. But they’re alive, filled with life energy just like we are, so it stands to reason that they’d have flaws as well. They can fall as surely as we can, and there may come a time when we have to deal with a situation like this again.”

Anna turned over, propping her head up on one hand. “Well, if the time comes again, at least we know we’re strong enough together to handle it. Maybe that’s what has given pause to our spirits, you know? We destroyed a spirit, and I’m sure that’s got to be a little unsettling for them.”

Elsa sighed heavily, turning on her side and laying an arm over Anna’s hip. “I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, least of all a spirit. That’s… not what I’m supposed to be. I’m supposed to be a bridge to the spirits, a protector, not… this.” Unshed tears pooled in Elsa’s eyes as the implications of what she’d been forced to do settled in her mind.

Anna cupped Elsa’s cheek with her free hand. “Hey. Elsa, you can’t blame yourself for what happened. You did what you had to, not just to save us, but to save who knows how many people. Maybe even the entire countryside. Maybe even all the spirits.” She leaned over and kissed her sister firmly. “Besides, you saved me, my hero. You always do.”

A wicked grin spread over Anna’s face as she subconsciously licked her lips. “And I have to reward you appropriately.”

* * *

## Author’s Notes

This is the final of four parts of what was originally a one-shot for the Elsanna Shenanigans August 2020 contest. This version is revised, cleaned up, and expanded from the original contest entry.

* * *

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